The production of farmed shrimp and prawns for human consumption, also known as shrimp aquaculture, is a major global food-producing industry that produces greater than 1.5 million tonnes of farmed shrimp on an annual basis. However, current methods of raising shrimp have become unreliable and unstable in many instances, primarily due to disease outbreaks and difficulties meeting various production parameters on a consistent basis.
In the United States and other countries, traditional shrimp farming methods are typically performed at facilities in coastal or brackish waters. However, the high cost of coastal land, the lack of availability of brackish waters, as well as environmental and land stewardship regulations that are not consistent with traditional shrimp farming methods present significant challenges to the continued practice of these traditional methods.
Thus, there is a need for new methods of raising shrimp and other crustaceans (e.g., lobsters, crabs, crayfish).